1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in the production of fuel gas by the partial oxidation of hydrocarbonaceous fuels and the burning of such fuel gas in a gas turbine for the production of power, and more specifically, to a highly efficient integrated gasification combined cycle ("IGCC") process which incorporates gas cooling in stages and which operates at high pressure to allow maximum heat from the quenched fuel gas to be used in power generation.
2. Background of the Invention
Quench power generation systems are used throughout the world to generate power from the gasification of a fuel source. In such systems a raw synthesis gas or syngas fuel gas stream, comprising H.sub.2, CO, CO.sub.2, and H.sub.2 O, is produced by the partial oxidation reaction of a hydrocarbonaceous fuel with a free-oxygen containing gas, typically in the presence of a temperature moderator in a quench gasification reactor.
The syngas produced is cooled by quenching in water to produce a stream of quenched saturated syngas at a temperature typically in the range of about 450.degree. F. to 550.degree. F. and typically at a pressure of about 700 to 1500 psia. A more detailed description of one such process appears in U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,756 to Jahnke et al, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The syngas produced is generally purified in an acid gas removal unit employing a physical or chemical solvent to remove H.sub.2 S and COS from the gas stream. The purified syngas is then fed as a fuel gas to the combustor of a gas turbine with a temperature moderator such as nitrogen.